Eagles-Jets Week 5 Predictions: Is This A Trap Game For Birds?
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Eagles came out of Week 4 with a huge win in Green Bay on a short week. Now they're heading back to Lincoln Financial Field for a matchup with the New York Jets before heading on a three-game road trip.
You can watch the Eagles-Jets game Sunday at 1 p.m. on CBS3.
CBS3's football experts have your Week 5 breakdown and predictions.
It was a big win against the Green Bay Packers last Thursday night, but issues still remain on the defensive side of the ball -- too many penalties, lack of pressure, wide open receivers. Is there anything the Eagles can do at this point to rectify the issues or is this something they're essentially going to be dealing with the entire season?
Sports Director Don Bell: Is there anything they can do? Yes! Play against the Jets. Gang Green is averaging 131 yards passing per game. That would be fine in 1959, but not in a pass-happy league in 2019. They're dead last in in the NFL. The Eagles only have three healthy cornerbacks on the roster and one of them (Orlando Scandrick) was sitting on his couch last week watching football like the rest of us. Having said that, they should look better this week because the Jets are THAT bad.
Sports Anchor Lesley Van Arsdall: Well, to state the obvious, of course they could rectify the defensive situation. Trade for Jalen Ramsey. He solves a ton of the issues on defense. But the Eagles have to be smart. If the price tag is too high, you've got to pass, which also means opposing teams may pass on the Birds' defense all season long.
Reporter Dan Koob: The NFL is a players league and they just don't have the dudes or the health to be reliable week in or week out in the secondary. Coaches can only scheme up so much. Having said that, the Jets are terrible. So if the Eagles shut them out, be wary of fool's gold.
Reporter Pat Gallen: Many of those issues above can be rectified by one thing -- adding Jalen Ramsey. A superstar cornerback would give the defensive line that extra split-second to pressure the quarterback. Opposing quarterbacks have been getting rid of the ball faster because, well, their wide receivers aren't being covered. Adding Ramsey also helps COVER THE OPPOSING WIDEOUTS. A novel concept! Aside from that, the Jim Schwartz model seems to be "Hold on for dear life." At this point, I think that they'll get gashed in between the 20s through the air against good teams, lean on their stout run D, and then clamp down inside the red zone. Prayers!
Sports Producer Andy Wheeler: This is an entire season thing for them. Health has made things harder on the back end but honestly you had to believe going into the season that if they were going to have an issue it will be with the defense. So far that's been the case. We should expect more of that but Schwartz is a smart guy. I trust he'll improve things as the season goes on and people get healthy.
Do you think the victory over Green Bay was the biggest win of Carson Wentz's young career so far?
Bell: Great question. The Eagles have made back-to-back trips to the playoffs, winning the Super Bowl in the process. So, it feels weird to call a regular season game in September the biggest game of Carson's career. But it is. Nick Foles won all the critical games during their championship run. Carson was clutch in Green Bay and deserves plenty of credit for fighting off a double-digit deficit on the road. The Eagles were the first opposing team to score 34 points at Lambeau since the Falcons in 2014. Kudos.
Van Arsdall: I'll say yes. Based on the following criteria: Magnitude of the game. National TV. Hostile environment. A close to "must-win" game. Carson came up big with the season arguably on the line. He went toe-to-toe with Aaron Rodgers and came out on top. Huge win for Wentz and the Eagles.
Koob: It's a great win, but I would still say Carson's biggest win was on the road against Carolina in prime time in 2017. That solidified the Birds as a Super Bowl contender. I also discovered Angels Envy bourbon that night. A monumental evening on multiple fronts.
Gallen: I'll actually say it's the second biggest win. We forget how good he was in the Rams game back in 2017 -- the one in which he blew out his knee. Plus, he threw his fourth and final TD in that game with said knee injury. But this one is pretty big because looking at the schedule moving forward, 2-2 looks way better than 1-3.
Wheeler: No. There's an argument to be made that every win he has from here on out could be called the most important ever. I think he's had bigger wins in his career and will have more moving forward.
The Eagles are facing the winless Jets before a rough three-game stretch on the road against the Vikings, Cowboys and Bills. What must the Eagles do to make sure they're not caught in a trap game?
Bell: In August, this was a trap game. But now, looking at it through the lens of a team that needed a last-second interception to seal a 2-2 record, that's no longer the case. Let's be honest, the Eagles haven't played well enough to overlook ANYBODY.
Van Arsdall: When you're sitting at 2-2 at a quarter of the way through the season, there can be no such thing as a trap game. You lose to the Jets, you probably don't deserve to make the playoffs. The Eagles have to realize this. If they don't, they are in trouble.
Koob: If the Eagles haven't learned by now to start faster at home, they never will. I have to imagine losing to Detroit at home is a big enough wake-up call for them to not be peeking ahead.
Gallen: If they play as awful as they did against the Falcons and Lions, they should still win by a touchdown. That's how bad the Jets are. And if they play as well as they did against the Packers, they should win by three touchdowns. This isn't really even a trap game -- the Jets are just terrible. I think they smell blood.
Wheeler: The Eagles, to me, going into the season, were a little overconfident. Now, after these first four games, they should know that they aren't good enough to take anyone lightly. The main thing they have to do is not play down to the competition. The Jets have struggled but that doesn't mean they are a horrible team that can't win.
Is there anyone on the Jets who could give the Eagles fits on Sunday?
Bell: If we were in a park playing pickup football and you lined up all the players in this matchup, Carson might be your first pick because of his position. But the best player on the field is Le'Veon Bell. He's a bigger version of Marshall Faulk. ELITE. That's the guy who can hurt the Eagles, but his effectiveness could be limited because of the Jets' weird quarterback situation.
Van Arsdall: Eh, not really. My only slight concern is the Jets' defensive line. They are solid against the run. The Eagles need to keep that run/pass balance on offense. But I'll take the Eagles' O-line against the Jets' D-line any day of the week. So make it a VERY slight concern.
Koob: Sam Darnold won't play. But I still wasn't popular enough in high school to get mono. No update there. I'm a Temple guy, so I'll say Robby Anderson, but I don't really mean it.
Gallen: The obvious answer is Bell, but besides him, Jamison Crowder feels like a guy who could give the Eagles fits.
Wheeler: The Jets' defense. They aren't as responsible for the Jets' record as people want to think. They are physical and talented. Jamal Adams could have a huge day in their secondary.
Predictions?
Bell: The Eagles aren't 14-point favorites for no reason. Birds win 33-17.
Van Arsdall: Eagles win 31-10.
Koob: I'm 1-3 in this space predicting games so I'll say Birds because if they lose you won't have to worry about them playing in February and my record doesn't matter. 31-14, Iggles.
Gallen: Pain. Eagles 42- 17.
Wheeler: Eagles win 28-10.
